Animating images is a growing alternative to still images that are generally seen throughout websites and social media apps. Even among messaging apps, the appeal and entertainment factor of using animated images provides for another layer of interaction and expression that old school still images from old school cameras does not provide. The fun is in being able to generate your own animated images. Sadly though, this is currently not as user friendly as it should be.

The current options are limited to only using GIF images. However, customization options are very limited. Mostly, generating these images is limited to only reducing the pixel quality of the original video file and cutting down the time length of the file. A lot of data appears to get lost in the process which results in quality degradation of the desired animated image. For this reason alone, relying on GIFs is an antiquated form of generating animated images. But GIFs can be problematic in other ways. Sometimes, and more often than should be tolerated, GIFs can freeze a webpage if it’s too complex or can not load altogether if shared on a mobile messaging app.

GIFs are by their nature clunky to make and equally clunky in their use and display. The amount of code required to even make a simple small file size doesn’t seem worth it when a shorter type could and should be made. This can hamper creativity and lead to having to settle for less when designing a website or generating images that one would want to share with others. Whole video streaming can take up bandwidth, an animated image should be able to load instantly and without delay. GIFs simply do not address these problems, existing only as a format of a time long past when such things ought to be simpler and faster while not having to give up on quality.

A better choice would be SVG animation, a different file type that lets users generate animated images exactly the way they prefer. The resulting quality is far superior to GIFs and small video clips. Flash based images are nothing compared to what is possible with SVG animation. Another advantage is the ease of use for beginners because it requires very little coding knowledge. Even without knowing serious coding, users have the option to change and tailor the underlying code to their preference, thus giving greater control over creativity and customization in their animated images.

The ability to make an image the way a user wants is pivotal to the creative process of designing a website or mobile application. SVG is user friendly and geared to cater to the needs and desires of creative developers looking to achieve more with less. Given the simplicity of generating animated images in this file type, the freedom to express what one desired is limitless and bounded by nothing except the imagination. That ought to be the aim of any new emerging technology service.